End-of-life care 'no better than it was 70 years ago'

End-of-life care 'no better than it was 70 years ago'
The Guardian (United Kingdom)/Yahoo! News, 12/21/23
Loneliness afflicts the majority of people at the end of their life, according to a report that found palliative care has not improved in 70 years. Poverty, social isolation and not being able to die where they want are all common issues causing “considerable hardship” for people as they die. Despite advances in healthcare since 1952, the “end of life care system has not kept pace”, the charity Marie Curie concluded in an analysis comparing care today with 70 years ago. It found that 97 per cent of carers were looking after patients who were lonely at the end of their life, while less than a third said people they cared for were always able to die where they wanted.